Pseudo-Phocylides
Encyclopedia
Pseudo-Phocylides is an apocrypha
l work claiming to have been written by Phocylides
, a Greek philosopher
of the 6th century. The text is noticeably Jewish, and depends on the Septuagint, although it does not make direct references to either the Hebrew Bible
or Judaism
. Textual and linguistic studies point to the work as having originally been written in Greek
, and having originated somewhere between 100BC and 100AD, although the oldest surviving manuscripts date from the 10th century AD.
Pseudo-Phocylides consists of a series of aphorism
s, and these refer indirectly to each of the Noachide Laws, as well as the so-called unwritten law
s of the Greeks. There are about 250 in total, and these are written as a series of hexameter
verses, in the form of a teaching manual; each maxim directly commanding the reader to obey it:
Some of the maxims in Pseudo-Phocylides were copied directly into one of the Sibylline Oracles
, found in Book 2.
The text of "Pseudo-Phocylides" is published in volume 2 of Old Testament Pseudepigrapha edited by James Charlesworth. The most recent translator and commentator on the work is Pieter van der Horst
, The Sentences of Pseudo-Phocylides (SVTP 4; Leiden: Brill, 1978).
Some authors, including Luke T. Johnson, believe that the way in which the work utilizes Leviticus 19 has an analogy with the way that the NT Letter of James employs that passage (Brother of Jesus: Friend of God, pages 123 ff.).
Apocrypha
The term apocrypha is used with various meanings, including "hidden", "esoteric", "spurious", "of questionable authenticity", ancient Chinese "revealed texts and objects" and "Christian texts that are not canonical"....
l work claiming to have been written by Phocylides
Phocylides
Phocylides , Greek gnomic poet of Miletus, contemporary of Theognis of Megara, was born about 560 BC.A few fragments of his "maxims" have survived , in which he expresses his contempt for the pomps and vanities of rank and wealth, and sets forth in simple language his ideas of honour, justice and...
, a Greek philosopher
Greek philosophy
Ancient Greek philosophy arose in the 6th century BCE and continued through the Hellenistic period, at which point Ancient Greece was incorporated in the Roman Empire...
of the 6th century. The text is noticeably Jewish, and depends on the Septuagint, although it does not make direct references to either the Hebrew Bible
Hebrew Bible
The Hebrew Bible is a term used by biblical scholars outside of Judaism to refer to the Tanakh , a canonical collection of Jewish texts, and the common textual antecedent of the several canonical editions of the Christian Old Testament...
or Judaism
Judaism
Judaism ) is the "religion, philosophy, and way of life" of the Jewish people...
. Textual and linguistic studies point to the work as having originally been written in Greek
Greek language
Greek is an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages. Native to the southern Balkans, it has the longest documented history of any Indo-European language, spanning 34 centuries of written records. Its writing system has been the Greek alphabet for the majority of its history;...
, and having originated somewhere between 100BC and 100AD, although the oldest surviving manuscripts date from the 10th century AD.
Pseudo-Phocylides consists of a series of aphorism
Aphorism
An aphorism is an original thought, spoken or written in a laconic and memorable form.The term was first used in the Aphorisms of Hippocrates...
s, and these refer indirectly to each of the Noachide Laws, as well as the so-called unwritten law
Unwritten Law
Unwritten Law is an American rock band formed in 1990 in Poway, California and currently recording for Suburban Noize Records. They have released seven full-length studio albums and have toured internationally, including performances on the Warped Tour...
s of the Greeks. There are about 250 in total, and these are written as a series of hexameter
Hexameter
Hexameter is a metrical line of verse consisting of six feet. It was the standard epic metre in classical Greek and Latin literature, such as in the Iliad and Aeneid. Its use in other genres of composition include Horace's satires, and Ovid's Metamorphoses. According to Greek mythology, hexameter...
verses, in the form of a teaching manual; each maxim directly commanding the reader to obey it:
- Remain not unmarried, lest you die nameless
- Cut not a youth's masculine procreative faculty
- And let not women imitate the sexual role of men
- Long hair is not fit for men, but for voluptuous women
Some of the maxims in Pseudo-Phocylides were copied directly into one of the Sibylline Oracles
Sibylline oracles
The Sibylline Oracles are a collection of oracular utterances written in Greek hexameters ascribed to the Sibyls, prophetesses who uttered divine revelations in a frenzied state. Fourteen books and eight fragments of Sibylline Oracles survive...
, found in Book 2.
The text of "Pseudo-Phocylides" is published in volume 2 of Old Testament Pseudepigrapha edited by James Charlesworth. The most recent translator and commentator on the work is Pieter van der Horst
Pieter Willem van der Horst
Pieter Willem van der Horst is a scholar and university professor emeritus specializing in New Testament studies, Early Christian literature, and the Jewish and Hellenistic context of Early Christianity.-Education and career:...
, The Sentences of Pseudo-Phocylides (SVTP 4; Leiden: Brill, 1978).
Some authors, including Luke T. Johnson, believe that the way in which the work utilizes Leviticus 19 has an analogy with the way that the NT Letter of James employs that passage (Brother of Jesus: Friend of God, pages 123 ff.).
Further reading
- K.-W. Niebuhr, 'Life and Death in Pseudo-Phocylides,' in Alberdina Houtman, Albert de Jong, Magda Misset-van de Weg (eds.), Empsychoi Logoi: Religious Innovations in Antiquity. Studies in Honour of Pieter Willem van der Horst (Leiden, Brill, 2008) (Ancient Judaism and Early Christianity, 73).